Cookout intertwines people with law enforcement officers

Grilling burgers and hot dogs can attract a crowd, and that’s exactly what the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department had in mind.

Dozens of people flocked to Washington Park in Wittenberg on July 31 to meet some of the county deputies and enjoy a tasty meal. Some of the children even played sports with the deputies. An added touch to the event was face painting, although most of the focus of the event was to introduce law enforcement in a positive light.

At one point, the deputies found themselves with one hamburger but no hamburger buns to nestle it in. Fortunately, the event was sponsored by Wittenberg Sentry, and a couple of employees quickly went out to resolve the situation.

It’s the first time the sheriff’s department has done this type of community outreach, but there are plans to keep doing so. Deputy Nathan Thornborrow is leading the charge, but it’s something that originally started with the Shawano Police Department — with Thornborrow’s brother, Tyler, planting the idea in his head.

“Tyler’s the one who’s been spearheading this,” he said. “I’m just kind of grabbing onto the coattails and riding it a little bit. It’s a great thing to have these pop-up events and have a great time.”

“We find local businesses and local donors that are willing to sponsor one of the lunches,” he said. “This week, it was Wittenberg Sentry. They brought out all the food — burgers, Gatorade, chips and all that type of stuff.”

The John Reinke Sr. Memorial Fund also gave for the cookout in the form of footballs and other sports equipment that allows law enforcement to play some games and make the event a positive one.

“Now we have bins of balls to play with the kids with,” Nathan Thornborrow said. “It gives the kids a positive experience with law enforcement, fills their bellies in the summertime and gets them out of the house. We get to see moms and dads, too, and grandmas and grandpas.”

Nathan Thornborrow knows how important it is to keep hitting home positive experiences with the police, especially in light of national news highlighting officer-involved shootings. He already tries to keep things positive in his role as a school resource officer with the Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Tigerton and Bonduel school districts, as well as Shepherd’s Watch Christian Academy in Mattoon and St. Paul Lutheran School in Bonduel.

The cookouts in Shawano are continuing for a second summer, and they’re going well, according to Tyler Thornborrow, who was lending a hand at the Wittenberg event. He sees the events as an opportunity for law enforcement to get to know some of the people in the communities where they serve.

“Everything is easier if you have a relationship with somebody,” Tyler Thornborrow said. “I never want their first time that we talk to a child be when something bad happens.”

Other cookouts are planned for August, but officials are still working out the details of when and where, with Nathan Thornborrow noting the Wittenberg event was last minute, so future cookouts could be as well. More information can be found on the sheriff’s department’s Facebook page.

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com